After leaving the city with the car stocked up of tent equipment and food we headed off to see the Coromandel peninsula. New Zealand is so familiar and very like home. The fruit and veg they have here is just yum, even the kiwi's are nice strangely enough! The views were amazing, the road took us along the coast for most of it but poor oul cons was nearly dizzy as the roads are very twisty up a mountain and the same all the way back down. Whitianga is a cute town with a nice marina and the campsite we stayed in was lovely. Went to the liqour store and two mad oul ones were pointing us to the beer fridge. Lads its not a beer fridge as you know it this is the cooler big as manzors keg room and u just walk round n pick what you want! The local NZ brewsky not bad. Checked out the local bar, called Smittys bit of a hick town bar with alot of hicks in it but not bad. Nearly cried when we saw the shots being measured out and the tiny 'pint' glasses, we're not used to that coming from South America! There, the bottles of beer are sold in litres n u get a 3/4 full glass of spirits n a coke on the side for tuppence! Onwards n upwards to hot water beach and Tauranga our christmas stop off....